The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA), the State’s leading professional nursing organization representing more than 219,000 registered nurses, supports the passage of medical marijuana legislation. This legislation meets the association’s requirements that medical marijuana be: (1) strictly monitored, (2) tightly controlled, and (3) medically prescribed.
In January 2014, PSNA was the first healthcare organization to publicly support Senate Bill 1182 (Medical Marijuana) introduced by Senator Mike Folmer. In its original form, SB 1182 both protected patients from prosecution when seeking the use of medicinal marijuana and protected health care providers who suggest medicinal marijuana to relieve intractable medical conditions or symptoms. In April 2015, PSNA renounced its support of SB 1182 after amendments were approved, weakening its focus on the patient by becoming cost prohibitive and hindering inter-collaborative practice by healthcare teams.
As medical marijuana changed our legislative landscape, it was the responsibility of healthcare professionals to be informed. Therefore, since 2014, PSNA has offered a series titled “Medical Marijuana: Myths & Medicine.” This education explored the myths and realities at the center of this historic debate including the history of marijuana, the effects of marijuana on the central nervous system, and Pennsylvania legislation related to medical marijuana.